Related papers: Verifying safety of an autonomous spacecraft rende…
Due to the complexity and inconstancy of the space environment, accurate mathematical models for spacecraft rendezvous are difficult to obtain, which consequently complicates the control tasks. In this paper, a linearized time-variant plant…
The paper considers autonomous rendezvous maneuver and proximity operations of two spacecraft in presence of obstacles. A strategy that combines guidance and control algorithms is analyzed. The proposed closed-loop system is able to…
A robust drift-safe rendezvous trajectory optimization tool is developed in this work, with applications to orbital rendezvous and proximity operations. The method is based on direct collocation and utilizes a sequential convex programming…
We present an optimization-based approach for fuel-efficient spacecraft rendezvous to the Gateway, a space station that will be deployed on a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon. The approach: i) ensures passive safety and…
This work presents a closed-loop guidance algorithm for six-degrees of freedom spacecraft rendezvous with a passive target flying in an eccentric orbit. The main assumption is that the chaser vehicle has an attitude control system, based on…
Spacecraft rendezvous enables on-orbit servicing, debris removal, and crewed docking, forming the foundation for a scalable space economy. Designing such missions requires rapid exploration of the tradespace between control cost and flight…
As near-Earth resident space objects proliferate, there is an increasing demand for reliable technologies in applications of on-orbit servicing, debris removal, and orbit modification. Rendezvous and docking are critical mission phases for…
In this paper, the trajectory planning problem for autonomous rendezvous and docking between a controlled spacecraft and a tumbling target is addressed. The use of a variable planning horizon is proposed in order to construct an appropriate…
We develop a probabilistic framework for \emph{rendezvous planning}: given sparse, noisy observations of a fast-moving target, plan rendezvous spatiotemporal coordinates for a set of significantly slower seeking agents. The unknown target…
Capturing disused satellites in orbit and their controlled reentry is the aim of the DEOS space mission. Satellites that ran out of fuel or got damaged pose a threat to working projects in orbit. Additionally, the reentry of such objects…
Space debris is on the rise due to the increasing demand for spacecraft for com-munication, navigation, and other applications. The Space Surveillance Network (SSN) tracks over 27,000 large pieces of debris and estimates the number of…
Autonomous satellite servicing missions must execute close-range rendezvous under stringent safety and operational constraints while remaining computationally tractable for onboard use and robust to uncertainty in sensing, actuation, and…
Demand for fast and inexpensive parcel deliveries in urban environments has risen considerably in recent years. A framework is envisioned to enforce efficient last mile delivery in urban environments by leveraging a network of ride-sharing…
Satellite rendezvous and docking (RvD) maneuvers are essential for satellite servicing and in-orbit assembly. Traditional approaches often treat translational and rotational motions independently, simplifying control design but potentially…
We consider two mobile oblivious robots that evolve in a continuous Euclidean space. We require the two robots to solve the rendezvous problem (meeting in finite time at the same location, not known beforehand) despite the possibility that…
This study develops an AI-based implementation of autonomous On-Orbit Servicing (OOS) mission to assist with spacecraft collision avoidance maneuvers (CAMs). We propose an autonomous `servicer' trained with Reinforcement Learning (RL) to…
Collision avoidance requires tradeoffs in planning time horizons. Depending on the planner, safety cannot always be guaranteed in uncertain environments given map updates. To mitigate situations where the planner leads the vehicle into a…
A Model Predictive Controller for Tracking is introduced for rendezvous with non-cooperative tumbling targets in active debris removal applications. The target's three-dimensional non-periodic rotational dynamics as well as other state and…
This work presents an event-triggered controller for spacecraft rendezvous hovering phases. The goal is to maintain the chaser within a bounded region with respect to the target. The main assumption is that the chaser vehicle has impulsive…
As the number of uncontrollable objects in low earth orbit is rising, the thread of collisions and thus the breakdown of working satellites becomes worth analyzing. Consequently, projects on removing objects from the important orbits are…